The best Cranberry Relish recipe is made with just 3 ingredients, tastes so fresh, and has been a family favorite for generations! It has an incredible sweet, tangy flavor and is perfect served with Thanksgiving turkey, chicken, or pork.
Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? Don't miss my Thanksgiving Turkey or Turkey Breast (for a smaller group), Homemade Dinner Rolls, Thanksgiving Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, or Sweet Potato Casserole!
It's not Thanksgiving at our house without Cranberry Relish
It's not Thanksgiving at our house without Cranberry RelishIt wasn't until I was an adult that I learned some people don't like cranberry condiments paired with their turkey. What?! Then I'm convinced they haven't tried this fresh, uncooked cranberry sauce. I'm just obsessed with the fresh citrus flavor of this cranberry relish and I love how easy it is to make; no cooking required and it will keep in the fridge for days if you want to make it in advanced.
I also love a delicious, traditional cooked cranberry sauce as well, but if I had to choose between the two, fresh cranberry relish wins every time. It makes great leftovers too, smothered on leftover homemade rolls with leftover turkey meat.
Make sure to give yourself a stress-free Thanksgiving by checking out all of my Make-Ahead Thanksgiving recipes and my go-to Thanksgiving Menu!
Cranberry Relish vs Cranberry Sauce?
Cranberry Relish is made from uncooked, raw ingredients blended in a food processor. It tastes fresh and tart. Cranberry Sauce is the traditional sauce that is cooked on the stove, thicker, and often much sweeter. They are both delicious, it really just comes down to personal preference.
How to make Cranberry Relish:
Combine: Slice the two ends of the orange, just until you see the flesh. Leave the rest of the skin on and cut orange into 8 wedges. Add orange wedges, fresh cranberries, and sugar to food processor and pulse until smooth and no large chunks remain. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Serve Cranberry Relish On:
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Pork tenderloin
- Homemade Rolls
- Spread on Sandwiches or Wraps instead of mayonnaise
- Yogurt – stir it into plain greek yogurt
- Belgian Waffles
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make-Ahead: Make ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To Freeze: Store in a freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before using.
Have leftover fresh Cranberries? Make:
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad
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Recipe
Cranberry Relish
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 orange , peel ON
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Slice the ends off of the orange, just until you see the flesh. Leave the rest of the skin on the orange and slice into 8 wedges.
- Add fresh cranberries, orange wedges and sugar to a food processor and process until smooth (or until no large chunks remain).
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving (or up to 1-2 weeks). Serve over turkey, chicken, pork loin etc.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe November 2016. Updated October 2019 and November 2024.
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After decades of making a sauce on the stove (often winding up with minimal to no jelling), I tried this one out for Turkey Day, as the ingredients most closely match my stovetop recipe – and this one uses less sugar. My guests and family loved it – and I did too. So guess what?
You guessed it: I am making it again for Christmas Dinner.
Thank you for a simple, easy and absolutely delicious relish recipe!
Winston
Well I’m 75 years old and my mom made this recipe . I have been eating cranberry relish for almost all of my 75 years . At times I wonder just how old this recipe could be …
I tell my grandchildren I think Adam and Eve enjoyed this relish back in the day ..
I tried this recipe over the weekend and it was a big success! I followed some of the earlier comments on the recipe and added some pineapple, pecans and only put in half an orange. It was delicious, thanks for this recipe!
Perfect tart/sweetness. Super quick and easy and only 3 ingredients. Love that it can be made ahead. Will definitely make it again.
Mine is so bitter, today! I don’t know what went wrong, or how to fix it. 🙁 Used Monkfruit blend instead of sugar, could it be a bad reaction with the cranberries? Poor quality (sour, bland) oranges?
Yes I think sugar would have worked best!
I do a LOT of cooking/baking with monkfruit extract (my partner is diabetic.) There are challenges, adjustments, and differences involved, but bitterness is not one of them. In fact, I find monkfruit substitution most successful in fruit-based dishes. If you ended up with a bitter relish, the culprit is far more likely the orange– sometimes you just get a bitter one. I have taken to tasting a small sample from any orange I am using in a recipe since I ruined a dish years ago when a bitter one got into the mix.
Thanks for posting this recipe. I have it at home but decided to take our Thanksgiving meal out of town this year and left my recipe at home; just needed the amounts of each. This was a family favorite since I was a young boy and always loved it and now have made it a tradition in my family. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if we didn’t have this. I like your ideas and plan to try some of them out also for some other recipes.
Awesome. super tasty, super easy to make, stress free prepare ahead..
the taste suits my understanding of winter also with the light orange note 🙂 Love it
Cranberry relish recipe is simple ,easy and delicious! Thank you ! love it !
I love this with cottage cheese. tangy, and healthy too!
For Thanksgiving I always add a little jalapeño, however much you like, which really gives it a zing